I built this AR and it failed. AR15 scientist help much appreciated!!!

I finished building my first AR 15 yesterday. Here it is in its earliest carnation.



So even though it was 100 degrees at 8:30 this morning at 4000 feet elevation I wanted to at least get out and run the barrel in. Now I've put together numerous bolt guns before and I'm a pretty handy mechanic but my experience this morning was dismal. I couldn't get off 2 rounds before a failure occurred. In the desert I wasn't able to make any determinations as to what was going on but back here at home after cleaning up the gun I am seeing some issues. Please give me a hand if you can?!

I hand load. I've developed 2 loads for other 223 rifles I have (KelTec SU16C and a Savage Axis 223) so I started out with the simpler hand load for those guns to run the new barrel in. The load on the middle is that load. It is a Remington 55gr Power-Lokt over 24.5 gr H335 with a COL of 2.182 to mimic the factory load sold at Wal Mart. The load on the left is a 60gr VMax over 25gr of Varget with a COL of 2.250. On the far right is one of the many Power-Lokt rounds I killed in my upped receiver this morning on its way to cambering. The next picture sounds one of these rounds nearly folded over.



I know next to nothing about ARs but I know other rifles. It looks as if I am having fail-to-eject issues then I'm slamming a new round into the back of the still chambered but spent case in front of it. What is doing this? I have a couple suspicions but would love to hear your opinions.

The rifle is currently a Frankengun. I got it in my head a couple weeks ago I wanted to build an AR and though I want a certain quality, I was obliged to pick up what I could in some cases if I wanted to get this thing built in a month. Some of the hardware I believe might be to blames. Here it goes.

In this picture you see an fairly well made AR Stoner 18 inch mid gassed Wylde chambed barrel over extended into a slick sided DPMS upper. First thing that bugs me is the feed ramp alignments. Not only is the barrel's feed ramps further into the receiver than the receiver's feed ramps but clearly the right feed ramp aligns but the left ramp does not. I think both the depth and alignment issues are making my rather short reloads bounce and making it difficult for them to chamber. What do you think might happen here?



Also, with the 18 inch mid gassed barrel I have an adjustable gas block on it but the adjustment is wide open as I cannot tell the relationship between the gas port and the jet (set screw) that regulates gas flow in the block. This and the buffer weight is 2.9 ounces when I'm thinking something much heavier might help with this gas/barrel configuration? Maybe?

Lastly, and what scares me the most is that it is a BCM BCG that is failing to eject the spent cases from the chamber. Why would this be?

I'd appreciate any help I can get on this. Since I am in "very hungry nube learning mode" I am going to cross post this thread in another forum to see how much I can learn about all this.
Thanks again.

Oh, by the way, this rifle is majorly accurate and the most repeatable off shoulder 200 yard COM I have ever shot......f I can keep it shooting.

Omaha, I will do that. I kinda had a similar idea already. I was going to shoot a couple rounds, clean the gun, shoot a couple more rounds then run 70 or 80 rounds through it just to limber up the gun then clean it to the core and re-lube accordingly when I got home. Other than run 80 rounds through it I did just that. I have a BCM BCG and it scares me I'd need to be looking at the BCG at all but I actually wouldn't know what a properly running BCG is supposed to feel like since this s the only BCG I've ever handled.

taliv, I do figure I have plenty of gas. Part of me thinks I may be over-gassed. Anyway, more often then not the spent rounds is never being picked up and is staying in the chamber. Again, a second reference to what is supposed to be the best quality part in this rifle. Hmmmmm.....

reddyeddy. I haven't owned a box of factory ammo in 5 years. LOL. But I will pick some up and I do think I know what you are getting at. When I was in the desert this morning I was beating myself up for not bringing some of the VMAX rounds with me which are built to more traditional 223 dimensions and are not blunt nosed.

Several goods thoughts here already everybody. I will try all these things right away but I won't be going back into the desert until next weekend. It's supposed to be 118* here tomorrow.

taliv, I am unable to move the extractor with my fingers or fingernail but I can push it out a little with a screwdriver. I don't remember anything about an O-ring. I don't see one. What is this about?
Oh, and I haven't taken the BCG apart or messed with it in any way.

gotigers, very interesting question. In my shop when I pull the charging handle back, loaded rounds will eject at 5 0'clock. When I was in the desert this morning I had a couple guys beside me watch the ejection pattern and the spent rounds would eject at 2 o'clock. And for this purpose I would remind everybody that this is a slick side anf there is no deflector behind the ejection port.

Walkalong, I know it does. You are correct. This is why I put the photograph in in the first place. The depth and alignment are not in sync. Along with ejection issues, I suspect feeding issues as well but the barrel staking pin had no play between it anf the receiver and this is how everything settled.

walkalong, the receiver was $86, the barrel was $260. HAhahahaa

jhd, I never played with a bolt to actually know what was going on in there but in your little test I think I learned everything there is to know about bolts (not really) and everything seems to work just fine. with some work the case drops right in. The extractor snaps tight over the cartridge rim and holds on to it when I pull staright out bu flips it readily when I let go.

Krusty, I don't have a great description of the issue. This is almost the first time I've fired an AR and I left the range after a few minutes in discust. : )
I just took the gas block off. I'm very well aligned on the tube.
I don't see an oring anywhere. I'm going to run up to a gun store in a minute and take the bolt group with me.

mtrmn, this sounds like a fine idea. I could easily machine the ramps.
For your question, no, the extractor isn't doing any damage to the cartridge rim.